dénouement
by ichilover3
Summary: It's fake, and he hates it. This girl, smiling and polite and sugary sweet, is not who he wants to talk to. He wants the spitfire that swears in English and takes down men twice her size. *High school AU. Drabblefic.*
1. Chapter 1

**I have absolutely no business starting another chapterfic. Yet, of course, here I am~ ^_^;;**  
**To be fair, this is one of the fics that have been sitting on my laptop for a while, partially finished. But I've decided to post it to help force me to write things! It will be a true drabblefic—no chapters will be over 100 words, and I will try to update every day. Hopefully, this will get my creative juices flowing (because you know that's _true _laziness, when you can't even write 100 words a day. lol). **

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_Kuchiki Rukia_ the board reads. The girl in question is ridiculously small, not even hitting five feet tall, and the smile she throws at the class gives Ichigo the jeebies. It's fake, all of it, from her high-pitched voice to her small curtsy. He can tell right away, because while her smile looks plastered on for show, her eyes are solely her—sharp, intelligent. But no one else seems to notice, and they all drink in the new transfer student's act.

"You'll be sitting next to Kurosaki-kun," the teacher informs her.

Her eyes shift to his. She freezes.

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**A/N: I have zero idea where this fic is going lmao**


	2. Chapter 2

It is only a split second, just a moment that her facade slips, but he sees it all the same.

He's slightly annoyed, but not surprised. It's the kind of reaction he gets all the time—having orange hair automatically profiles him as a delinquent. His scowl deepens.

But she blinks, and the girly demeanor snaps back in place. She makes her way down the aisle, slips into the seat adjacent to his.

All without sparing him another glance.

Ichigo's annoyance rises. _Uppity bitch._


	3. Chapter 3

The new girl doesn't bother taking notes. Instead, she doodles, though from his desk, Ichigo can't tell what.

Not that he cares.

The new girl smiles her fake smile when addressed, but doesn't say much and disappears during lunch time.

Not that he notices.

When the bell rings, she packs up her things, exits the school gates, and slides into the back of an expensive car with tinted windows, all without having spoken to anyone but the teacher all day.

Not that he was watching her.

His classmates whisper and gossip about her. Ichigo scowls, and heads home.


	4. Chapter 4

It's after a few days of sitting next to the transfer that Ichigo can't help but be curious about her.

Despite having a little time to adjust, her behavior doesn't change. She barely pays the teacher any attention, preferring to litter her paper with, Ichigo is dismayed to find, _cartoon bunnies_. She barely replies when she is addressed, and her smiles are cloyingly sweet.

He's almost positive that she purposely avoids looking in his direction. He's annoyingly annoyed about it.

And as soon as class is over, she slips into her fancy car's backseat.

Until one day she doesn't.


	5. Chapter 5

Yuzu had asked him to pick up a few things for dinner, so he's headed home, backpack in one hand and groceries in the other when he hears the commotion.

"I said no," a voice says coolly, its tone enough for Ichigo to peek into an alley curiously. And there she is, the transfer student, looking simultaneously exactly and nothing at all as he remembered. Gone is the bubbly expression; instead, her eyes can cut steel.

She is surrounded by a group of hoodlums that Ichigo knows from experience is bad news. But she doesn't seem the least bit intimidated.


	6. Chapter 6

"C'mon, baby," one of them sneers. "We can show you a real good time."

She glares at them frostily, and Ichigo can see the fire that he had known was behind her good-girl act. "Get out of the way." She attempts to push through their circle of bodies, but meets resistance. "_Don't you assholes understand?!"_ she hisses in such clear, unaccented English that Ichigo is momentarily stunned.

But then one of them grabs her arm.

Ichigo drops his bags and moves.


	7. Chapter 7

Faster than Ichigo can see, the new girl has the handsy thug facedown on the asphalt, the offending hand bent painfully behind him and her knee securely nudged in his back. "I said _no._"

The other three delinquents get angry. "You little bitch!" one of them snarls, reaching for her.

Ichigo promptly elbows him in the head. "Leave her alone," he says nonchalantly.

She looks up at him in surprise. The guys' heads snap to him indignantly.

"Kurosaki!" the one he elbowed snaps, hand on his stinging head. "Mind your business!"

Ichigo scowls. "She _is_ my business."


	8. Chapter 8

"What?" the one she's on top of mumbles into the gravel. "She your girlfrien' or somethin'?"

Ichigo doesn't bother answering his question. Instead, he lifts the idiot by his collar, smashes his head into the ground, and turns to his friends menacingly. "Leave."

He can see the wheels in their moronic brains turning—did they really want to get their asses kicked by Kurosaki Ichigo and some she-devil? Was it worth it?

"Come on," the one he elbowed says resentfully. "She ain't even hot."

The new girl twists her thug's arm for good measure, then hops off of him.


	9. Chapter 9

They're angry, but they finally leave, exiting the alley on the opposite side.

The new girl brushes gravel off her uniform.

"What the hell were you doing here?" Ichigo demands.

Her eyes narrow. They're a strange color—at first glance blue, but kind of purple in the right light. "Looking for something." It's strange to see her looking at him so directly. "_I didn't ask for your help_," she mutters to herself.

English again. He picks up her backpack, hands it to her. "_You didn't need to_." He sees the shock on her face, but turns and heads home.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day at school, he inadvertently saves her from another ambush. The girls in their class had apparently decided to act on their distaste for the new girl's aloofness and are crowded around her desk (and his by default), plying her with questions.

"Where are you from?"

"Would you like to eat lunch with us? I made extra!"

"Where are you staying?"

And the new girl just gapes at them, wide-eyed and looking overwhelmed.

His classmates make a path for him. He slides into his seat and gives the new girl a bored glance.


	11. Chapter 11

"G-Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!" one of the girls stutters. She wrings her hands together.

"Hey, Inoue," he answers, distractedly opening his backpack.

Inoue's face turns a bright red, and he wonders if she's sick. He looks at Tatsuki, their mutual friend, for an explanation, but she just shakes her head. Ichigo inwardly shrugs. Despite being the smartest, best looking, and most popular girl in class, Inoue Orihime has always been a weird one.

"We were just getting to know Kuchiki-san," Inoue chirps.

Ah, Kuchiki's her name. He's terrible with them.

"Want to share lunch?" Inoue offers Kuchiki again. Ichigo blanches.


	12. Chapter 12

"That's very kind of you, Inoue-san," Kuchiki responds, her voice so sugary-sweet that Ichigo looks at her incredulously. Was this seriously the same girl who had dropkicked a guy twice her size the day before? "I would—"

"Sorry Inoue," he interrupts shooting Tatsuki a nervous glance, "she's already brought her lunch. Wouldn't want to waste it."

The long-haired girl pouts. "That's too bad. Maybe next time, Kuchiki-san?"

Kuchiki smiles, but Ichigo can tell she's just gritting her teeth. "Next time."

The teacher enters the room, and everyone hurries back to their seats.

Kuchiki's eyes are murderous.


	13. Chapter 13

"I didn't bring a lunch today," she says lowly, her tone completely different from the one she used before.

Ichigo takes notes indifferently. But as soon as the teacher's back is turned, Kuchiki reaches over and punches him in the jaw. He reels back, hand covering the area and hissing. "The fuck?"

Kuchiki is nonchalant. "I didn't bring a lunch today," she repeats. "Now I'm going to be hungry. And it's your fault."

What, was this chick bipolar or something? "You wouldn't want Inoue's lunch anyway, trust me!" At her glare, he huffs agitatedly. "Fine, you can share mine."


	14. Chapter 14

She's impatient as he takes out his bento, huffy. She leers. "Why'd you bring me all the way up here? To murder me?"

He rolls his eyes and tosses a pair of chopsticks at her. "I always eat up here. Are you hungry or not?"

She gives him and the roof one last suspicious look before glancing into the box and seeing pandas smiling at her. She raises an eyebrow.

He scoffs. "My sister makes my lunch—you know what, I don't have to explain myself to you! Eat!"

A small smile graces her lips. She eats.


	15. Chapter 15

There's something about the way she's eating—the chopsticks are comfortable in her hand, but not natural. He frowns, unable to ignore it all. "Where are you from, anyway?"

Her mouth is full of rice though she takes ladylike bites. "Chicago," she mumbles around it. And, when he tilts his head, she elaborates, "America."

He is surprised at this, despite all of the clues. She looks distinctly Japanese, though she could be mixed with something else. "You're American?"

She nods, taking another bite of food. "Are you giving me your whole lunch or…?"

Ichigo quickly reaches for his extra chopsticks.

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**A/N: Why yes, I did just make Rukia a girl from the Southside of Chicago. FIGHT ME**


	16. Chapter 16

They are quiet while they eat, though she keeps glancing at him enough for him to demand, "What?"

She pauses. "What was your name again?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he responds gruffly. "Yours?"

"Kuchiki Rukia." _Rukia_, that was her given name. "Ichigo, you're fluent in English?"

"I'm not fluent." He rubs the back of his neck, embarrassed. "It's just one of my best subjects."

"Sounded pretty fluent to me."

"Well, your Japanese is pretty fluent for an American."

She smiles, and he feels a weird tingle down his spine. "Not fluent. I'm still learning."

"Is that why you're here?"

Her smile widens.


	17. Chapter 17

It is at this moment that Ichigo's friends decide to make an appearance.

"Ichigoooo," Keigo wails, rushing over to them, "why didn't you tell me you were dating the transfer?"

"Because I'm not." He gestures vaguely to Rukia, who is still picking a chunk of egg out of the bento in his hand. "She forgot her lunch."

Mizuiro raises an eyebrow. "That's it? You two look mighty close. Everyone's going to think you're dating."

"If I cared what everyone else thought," Ichigo scoffs, "I would have dyed my hair a long time ago."


	18. Chapter 18

Rukia gives him a sidelong look, but says nothing. His friends sit down next to them, unpacking their own lunches. "Hey, Chad," he greets the straggler.

The tall man nods in greeting, equally baffled by Ichigo's actions, but not saying anything.

What's the big deal? The transfer was hungry, and Yuzu always packs too much. Still, his friends are obsessively curious and he can feel how tense Rukia has become beside him. He elbows her lightly in the side, getting an icy glare in return. "Relax. These guys are cool."

"I'm sure." Her voice drips with sugar.

He frowns.


	19. Chapter 19

It's fake, and he hates it. This girl, smiling and polite and sugary sweet, is not who he wants to talk to. He wants the spitfire that swears in English and takes down men twice her size. At least she's interesting; at least she's _real_.

Still, his friends are completely charmed as she laughs at the dumb joke Keigo tells, as she hands Ichigo back his chopsticks, stands, and bows formally to him. "Thank you for your kindness."

He wants to annoy her, to pound on her metaphorical door and see who answers.

But just that quickly, she's gone.


	20. Chapter 20

"Are you dating Kurosaki-kun?" the girl from before asks her worriedly. Rukia had only wanted a moment to herself, but clearly the girls of her class had been watching her, as they found her lounging in a tree, mere moments after she had climbed up there.

She pushes down the urge to throw her shoe and puts on a pleasant expression.

"It's just," the girl—Inoue, was it?—continues to babble, "you sit next to him in class…"

Rukia wonders if it would be too rude to point out that that was the alphabet's doing. Inoue couldn't be that daft.


	21. Chapter 21

"And we saw you eating lunch with him!" a bespectacled girl accuses. "You need to back off! Hime has liked him since middle school!"

Inoue looks embarrassed. "Chizuru! Um, Kuchiki-san, I…"

"We're not dating," Rukia informs her shortly. She clears her throat, pastes a smile onto her face. "Ichi—Kurosaki-san was just being nice."

The girl with the short hair frowns. "Ichigo is never _nice_. Not on purpose, at least."

"It's okay if you like him too, Kuchiki-san!" Inoue momentarily brightens. "Because then it would be two against one, and we would beat Kurosaki-kun for sure!"

Rukia is stunned silent.


	22. Chapter 22

Inoue laughs, and her friends all smile at her antics. Rukia wonders what dimension she has suddenly been zapped to.

"I don't like him," she insists. "We're just…friends." And that word is a little strong, but in the back of her mind she sees him, scowling and about to beat down thugs for her, and it rolls off her tongue.

Still, she forces the image out. Whether she likes him or hates him…it is all so troublesome. Love, companionship, friendship…it's all nothing but trouble.

When the time comes, when she has to leave—

Rukia jumps down and walks past them.

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**A/N: Sorry guys! My work schedule has been really unpredictable lately, and I hadn't realized how much time had passed. Hopefully I can get more writing done this weekend.**


	23. Chapter 23

She feels eyes on her for the rest of the day, but she doesn't look up. She doesn't return the curious glances from the orange-haired boy next to her. She doesn't smile at the cautious ones she's sure the other girls in class send her. Instead, she draws Chappy all over her notebook, unable to pay attention to the teacher's droning.

When it is finally time to leave, Rukia quickly packs up her things.

"Hey."

She pretends she doesn't hear him, slipping down the aisle and out the door like a ghost. The chauffeur opens the car door for her.


	24. Chapter 24

Rukia lives in the penthouse of Karakura's only luxury apartment building, and it is something she's not used to.

She is still awkward when the cooks serve her dinner—she's never had hired help before, and it's strange to have them waiting for her after school, to have dinner piping hot on the table at six every night without having to lift a finger.

Daintily, she sips her soup. The servants mostly leave her be, and Nii-sama is still at the office.

Still, on the rare times he joins her, the emptiness doesn't dissipate.

She retires early for the night.


	25. Chapter 25

The next day is relatively the same. Her novelty seems to be wearing off, so she only gets a few conspicuous glances, but she continues to ignore them.

She spends lunch in the safety of her tree, munching on a sweet roll she got out of a vending machine, and she almost makes it completely through the day without any interaction at all. But just when the bell rings and she's about to split—

"Rukia."

Of course it's him. And he's grabbed her by the elbow, so she can't pretend she didn't hear him this time.

She turns.


	26. Chapter 26

His touch is light, but she looks pointedly where his fingers touch her and he immediately lets go, an embarrassed flush creeping up his neck. She finds it admittedly adorable.

"Weren't you listening at all?" he asks gruffly. "We're partners."

She blinks, waiting for him to elaborate. She can still feel the warmth of his fingers on her skin.

He scoffs, as if she is a huge pain. "The English project."

Behind him, the busty girl is watching them. Rukia shifts. "What?"

"We can get started at my house," he huffs. "Come on."


End file.
